


Something In The Way You Move, Makes Me Feel Like I Can’t Live Without You

by my_lonely_angels



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-13 13:23:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_lonely_angels/pseuds/my_lonely_angels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here under the blanket of stars, amongst the ruins of Ancient Ur and in the company of Agatha Christie, Leonard Woolley, his wife and their most trusted assistant, the Doctor can’t help but find himself entranced by the mere presence of River Song. He wanted nothing more then to take her by the hand and quietly slip away into the night with her, lay her down on the sand and explore every inch of her as if she is one of the treasures of the site.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something In The Way You Move, Makes Me Feel Like I Can’t Live Without You

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted River to do some Archaeology ok? Title from Rihanna's stay. please excuse the Archaeology joke and the errors, it was late when I wrote this and I was dying for a coffee.

**Day one**

“The Second Space Vegas!” The Doctor cried, spinning around the console excitedly. “Built after the first one got a bit, well, crushed. This one is a complete satellite orbiting an asteroid, great view of the scorpion nebula, the best lobster bisque this side of the universe.” He paused before going on in a meaningful tone, “24 hour chapel.”

“Is that a hint sweetie?” River purred in response from the foot of the stairs.  He looked up at the click of her heels on the steps, raising an eyebrow at her chosen attire. She wore a long figure hugging dress in gold matched with a pair of black pumps.

  He grinned choosing not to reply as he watched her stride past him, hips swaying. He licked his lips. “Yowzah!”

River chuckled dryly, “You were saying?”

The Doctor straightened his bowtie as he gestured to the doors, “shall we?” and with that he leaped at the doors, throwing them open and confidently marching out into the world beyond.

A second later he was back, gulping as he ran a hand through his hair, “On second thought, I didn’t really want to go to Space Vegas.” River raised an eyebrow sceptically as she put one hand on her hip, “Where are we?”

“Why do you assume we’re in the wrong place?” The Doctor replied defensively.

“Because you’ve got that high pitched whine on again!”

His mouth fell open in undisguised outrage, “I don’t whine!”

River smirked, gesturing to him to show that he had just proven her point. “I’ll see for myself then shall I?” She pushed past him, ignoring his protests as she opened the door and stepped out. 

Her heels dug into the sand, the suns rays glaring in her face. River shielded her eyes as she glanced down at the sand dune they had landed on. The ancient foundations of a long forgotten civilization lay at the base of the dune, behind which a dozen or so light brown tents fluttered in the slight breeze. Following that lay a great expanse of sand, disappearing off into the sunset. River squinted at the remains o the wall closest to them, spotting the elaborate engravings which ran along the base.

“Space Vegas” She muttered sarcastically under her breath, “we’re in Mesopotamia”

“Archaeologists” she heard The Doctor grumble from behind her. She turned to see him emerging from the Tardis once more. He pointed to the ruins, where a few hundred labourers were busy wheeling away wheelbarrows of sand, or else sorting through buckets of ceramic shards.

To the side, surveying the scene were 4 figures dressed from head to toe in white, two women, two men.

“Doctor?” River began hesitantly as she caught sight of one of the women, “is that…”

“Agatha Christie” The Doctor nodded with a wide grin on his face. He paused to stick his tongue out as if tasting the air, “1930’s.” He announced proudly, “Just after she married her second husband then.”

River shot him a toothy grin, “well that’s settled!” She declared, hiking up her dress as she turned and headed back into the Tardis.

“What’s settled?” The Doctor called out in bewilderment, “where are you going?”

“as much as I love this dress I think I’m need of more practical attire” Came the reply.

The Doctor wrung his hands in frustration, “no, we are not staying!” he yelled back before adding in a low tone, “I liked that dress too”

“Maybe I’ll wear it for you tonight” River replied with a dry chuckle. 

He let out a cry of surprise.

~.~

River appeared less then ten minutes later, dressed in a matching cream coloured blouse and breeches, the latter being tucked into a pair of black knee-high boots. Her hair was piled under a riding hat of the same colour, a white veil shielding her from the harsh environment.

 “I don’t like this one,” The Doctor commented as she spun on the spot to show off her new outfit. He sniffed, “too demure”

River winked in response, leaning towards him to reply throatily, “it’s what’s underneath that counts”

With that she turned on the spot and marched off towards the ruins, leaving the Doctor to tug on his collar, running a hand through his hair as he did so.

He swaggered off not long after, glancing down at the dig site with undisguised contempt. “Archaeologists” He muttered once more as he fell into step beside his wife.

River rolled her eyes in response, “hippie!” she shot back.

He opened his mouth to retort but instead lost his footing, toppling forward with a cry of alarm as he rolled down the sand dune. He heard River shout out to him as he landed at the bottom of the dune, face first in the sand. The Doctor groaned by way of reply, painfully picking his face off the ground and spitting out a mouthful of sand.

Behind him he heard River’s howl of laughter and crinkled his forehead in response. “River!!” River ignored him, her boots sinking into the sand next to him a she knelt down and tenderly pressed her lips against his.

She gave a surprised shriek when one arm snaked around her waist, pulling her down on top of him. The Doctor flicked her hat off of her head, grinning as the mass of blonde curls to tumble out. “Doctor” she hissed, punching his shoulder. In response he ran his hand along the curve of her spine, smirking at her wide-eyed expression. It was nice to know that after all these years he could still have that effect on her.

River laughed as she sat up, swinging one leg over so that she was now seated rather comfortably upon his torso. The TimeLord watched as his wife leaned over him and straightened his bowtie. “There’ll be time for that later my love” she murmured before sliding off him and stooping to pick up her hat. 

The Doctor held his hands out in disbelief, “are you sure you’re River Song?” He asked, feigning suspicion.

“That’s Professor Song to you!” She replied smugly as she replaced her hat and held out a hand to help him up.

“It was a degree in Archaeology and therefore doesn’t count!” The Doctor grumbled, but nevertheless he allowed his wife to pull him to his feet.  With an air of superiority he began to dust off his clothes pretending not to notice as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Oh shut up!” she snapped.

He grinned in reply, leaning in close, “not a chance”

They continued to approach the camp after that, The Doctor dragging his feet along the sand and muttering under breath. River Meanwhile soldiered on more purposefully with her eyes fixed on the horizon until at last they were standing beside the ancient brick walls of Ur.

“That” The Doctor cried excitedly as he gestured to a strange six-legged cow engraved onto one of the bricks, “is a race of grazers that originally came form Alpha Cebana, now what were they called?” He trailed off, umming and ahhing as he tried to think of the name.

River ignored him, choosing to focus on the craftsmanship of the wall with unconcealed awe. “The ziggurat should be nearby” she muttered.

The Doctor’s eyes snapped up, meeting hers, “Yes, and the ram in the thicket. We should go and see it sometime, when it was firs made I mean” He added in a hopeful tone.

River let out an exaggerated sigh and patted him on the back sympathetically, “Oh no Doctor, no shortcuts this time”

The Timelord groaned, “But-but Riverrr!!!”

“You’re doing the whine again” River cut across him sharply.

The Doctor immediately quieted down and folded his arms, glaring at her like a small child that had just been reprimanded.

“I say, what the devil do you think you’re doing?!” An outraged voice bellowed suddenly from somewhere behind them.

Husband and wife turned as one, spotting one of the figures in white from earlier hurrying towards them, his face unmistakably contorted in anger as he gestured for them to move away from the ruins.

“Leonard Woolley” River chuckled, arching a brow, “what a character”

The Doctor straightened up, snapping his fingers in front of his wife’s face to draw her attention away from the other man. “He’s got terrible fashion sense” The TimeLord grumbled as he eyed the other man wearily.

“as opposed to you dear?” River asked sarcastically, turning back to him. “If it’ll ease your mind, I’m not remotely interested in Woolley.”

“Well that’s a relief”

“His wife is far more charming” She added, winking at her husband.

The blood drained form the Doctor’s face. He gulped, already considering throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her back into the Tardis. Yes, definitely a good plan. He never got the chance to enact this scheme however, for the other man had already reached them.

“what the bloody hell are you two up to?” Woolley repeated, panting and flapping his hands about erratically. “stand back, back I say”

The Doctor stepped towards him, diving into his jacket pocket and extracting the psychic paper which he waved in front of the other man. “Lord John Smith,” He muttered swiftly, “this here’s my illustrious wife ” He gestured to River who raised an eyebrow at the introduction but nevertheless inclined her head in Woolley’s direction in a regal manner. The Doctor responded by elbowing her in the ribs, “go on missus, give us a smile ay?” He grinned, sobering up as she pushed him away and snorted in an unimpressed sort of way.

He turned back to the Woolley who seemed o be lapping up their story, “We’ve just come down form London to see the ruins,” The Doctor paused, sweeping a hand over the site airily, “Old whats-his-name recommended it to us,” He glanced at River, silently urging her to help him out.

“Petrie” She blurted out suddenly, “Flinders Petrie mentioned in passing that you were excavating  in the East.”

“You are acquainted with Petrie?” Woolley asked incredulously.

The Doctor, momentarily thrown by her outburst began to nod slowly, going along with the story. “Yes, we’re old friends of Petrie, and his wife,” he paused, clicking his fingers as if trying to remember the name. River glared pointly at him, “Hilda” she said through gritted teeth.

This seemed to satisfy Woolley, “well why didn’t you say so before? Come and meet the wife won’t you? And my good friend Max. No doubt you’ve heard of his other half eh? Marvelous woman” he beamed at them, urging them towards the camp.

The Doctor grimaced at the prospect of having to walk through an Archaeological site. He pocketed the Psychic and gestured for his wife to go first.

Sighing, River pushed past him and followed the archaeologist through the gap in the ancient wall. The Doctor trailed after them, glancing at the site with a bored expression printed on his face. “dirt, dirt, oh look, more dirt” he muttered, pointing to the wheelbarrows being pushed away by laborers’ clothed in identical shirts and baggy trousers.

River glanced backwards at him, giving him a look that plainly wished him a painful death.

“Here we are” Woolley exclaimed all of a sudden, motioning to the three figures in front of them. All three stood under a shade cloth that had been erected just in front of the row of tents. In the middle of the area a wooden trestle table stood, upon which a typewriter and a stack of crisp white sheets of paper rested. A woman sat behind the table, wearing an outfit much like the one River had adopted. Beside the first woman stood a second who held a dainty teacup in her hand, unlike the first this one wore trousers and a suspicious expression.  Seated cross-legged on the floor was a man, younger then both women by a few years. Scattered on a small square of fabric before him lay several different shards of pottery, one of which he held in his hands.

“Who’s this then?” The woman holding the teacup asked as soon as Woolley had approached her. He grinned, kissing her on the cheek, “Allow me to introduce Lord and Lady Smith” He gestured grandly to River and The Doctor before pointing out each of his colleagues, “My wife, Katherine,” The woman with the teacup inclined her head in much the same way as River had done before, “Max old boy,” He hissed to the man on the floor. The man looked up in mild interest, putting down the piece of pottery.  “Edgar Mallowan, known simply as Max” Woolley went on before turning to the woman seated at the table, a grin on his face, “and of course Agatha Christie, as I said before, marvelous writer.”

The woman at the chair glanced up slowly, a bright smile on her face as she pushed back the chair and stood up, moving around to offer her hand.

“Agatha Christie” The Doctor murmured softly, taking her hand in both of his and shaking it vigorously, “Pleasure to meet you again”

“Again?” Agatha asked, frowning, “have we met before Lord Smith?”

The Doctor shook his head, inwardly cursing himself, “No, no, I guess I’ve read so many of your novels that I feel like I already know you”

Agatha beamed as The Doctor finally relinquished his grip on her, allowing her to turn to River instead, “Your husband seems very enthusiastic,” She murmured as she shook River’s hand.  As soon as she’d done so however the writer glanced down at their hands with a curious expression on her face, “No ring?” she asked,

“I lost it” River replied smoothly, ignoring the Doctor’s eyes on her. “In the sand as we were walking”

Agatha nodded, “You can’t have had it long then, if it were loose enough to fall off” She observed.

River swallowed, “No, no I haven’t” she lied.

The writer seemed unconvinced; nevertheless she turned away from them, heading back to her seat. She laced her fingers over the desk staring them both down. The other three were silent, their attention fixed on the writer. River and the Doctor glanced at each other, bewildered. A full minute passed before Agatha spoke again, “So you’ve come to dig at Ur?”

“Well actually…” The Doctor began uneasily, only to be cut off by a sharp reply from the writer, “I was talking to your wife Lord Smith”

She nodded at River, a smile spreading over her face, “You’re an archaeologist, aren’t you?”

River raised an eyebrow, completely taken back, “how did you…”

“Your hands,” she replied simply, before smiling down at the man sitting on the floor, “one can always tell an Archaeologist by their hands,”

At this point, Katherine snorted, downing her tea and setting the cup on the table, “cheap party tricks” she muttered, taking the empty seat next to Agatha.

“Thank you Kathy” Agatha replied as if it had been a compliment.

The Doctor chuckled, exchanging a look with his wife.

“Is the woman right?” Woolley asked hopefully, “We could always use another pair of hands”

River beamed in response as she stepped forwards, “I’d love to”

She glanced back at the Doctor, smirking at his forlorn expression. “We’d love to” She added.

The Doctor let out a groan, clapping a hand to his forehead.

 

* * *

 

**Day two**

“I discovered this one myself” Woolley told them importantly, pointing to the map on the table, “Shub-ad, she was a member of the royal household you know, very impressive stuff”  
“yes, it is, except you’ve mistranslated, her name was Pu-abi. Cuneiform, nasty language isn’t it?” River replied sympathetically. “What do you think sweetie?” she called out over her shoulder.

“I think we should be leaving soon dear” The Doctor retorted.

“Difficult man, isn’t he?” Max asked, frowning at the TimeLord who sat in the corner of the tent, playing an early Mesopotamian board game against himself. 

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg” River replied rolling her eyes, “Now how about the plan of the tomb?”

“Glad you asked my dear, I’ve got the plans right here” Woolley cried eagerly, throwing the map off the table in his excitement and replacing it with another sheet of paper.

The Doctor regarded them with a mixture of irritation and boredom.

“I’m going for a walk” He declared, standing up and knocking over the board game in the process.

“Fine” River replied dismissively, her eyes darting over the paper in front of her.

“Maybe I’ll  get lost” He went on sarcastically after failing to receive the response he wanted.

“Yup”

“Maybe I’ll collapse from heatstroke”

“That’s great sweetie” River responded simply,

“Maybe I’ll fall into one of those stupid trenches and break my neck” The Doctor cried dramatically,

“I hope you do!” Katherine retorted irritably.

The Doctor threw his arms up in frustration, storming out of the tent. Seconds later they heard a cry of surprise, followed by a heavy thud.

“What was that?” Max asked sharply, looking up.

“Ignore it” River said, batting away his concern, “it’s probably nothing”

* * *

 

**Day five.**

The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis, cricking his neck as he did so. He winced, turning towards the camp site. The harsh Middle Eastern sun glared in his eyes as he trudged down the sand dune; again he lost his footing and tumbled down the dune, cursing in Gallifreyan.

He fell straight into the path of Leonard Woolley who glanced down at him in undisguised amusement. “Are you having a great fall?” The archaeologist asked, chuckling at his own joke as he watched the Doctor pick himself off the ground and spit out another mouthful of sand in disgust.

“Oh ha ha ha” The Doctor muttered back sarcastically, brushing the sand off of his clothes. “have you seen my wife? River?” He began as if the other man had never seen her before, “about this high, hair” he brought his hands up so that they were at least a ruler length away form his head, indicating River’s hair. “Legs, arms, other parts” The Doctor trailed off, gulping at that thought.

Woolley rolled his eyes, “She’s in the sondage” He growled in response.

The Doctor stared at him, scratching his head in confusion, “The what?” he asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“The sondage”

“one more time”  
“THE SONDAGE!”  Woolley roared, gesturing behind him, “the telephone box?”

Frowning The Doctor turned in the opposite direction, pointing to the Tardis parked at the top of the hill. “But I just came out of there,” he mumbled

Woolley looked ready to strangle him, “A sondage Lord Smith is a type of trench that we Archaeologists use, the common name for which is the telephone box” he explained through gritted teeth, he pointed one shaking finger to the sondage in question,  a deeply dug trench that easily hid anyone from view.

“Archaeologists!” The Doctor grumbled in reply and without another word  he strode towards the trench, peering in at it cautiously.

River stood against the furthest wall, the top of her head some 4 feet below him. Her back was turned to him and in her hand she held trowel against the walls of the trench, slowly moving it down the multicolored rock and counting out loud as she did so. Her hands were covered in dirt, as were her once pristine white clothes. Small flecks of rock were also tangled in her wild blonde curls, giving her the appearance of a mad woman. The Doctor grinned at the sight, swinging his legs over the edge of the trench and lowering himself in. If she heard him she gave no indication, continuing to talk to herself, “Site abandonment at this layer in the record? But no that’s too early, the dates don’t match up….” She was still muttering out loud as he came up behind her, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her back against him.

“River” He murmured softly in her ear, leaning down to trail kisses down her neck, tugging down the sleeve of her blouse with his teeth as the hand around her waist slipped under the material and began to trace patterns over her skin.

River gave a yelp of surprise at the sudden contact. “Doctor” she hissed.

“Yes?” He asked innocently, his teeth grazing against the exposed skin of her neck.

“I’m busy sweetie” And with that she disentangled herself from his grasp, stepping away from him and going back to her work. “Maybe later” she murmured, giving him an apologetic look before turning to the wall.

The Doctor stared at her, a disbelieving noise escaping his throat. He stood perfectly still for five more minutes, eyes boring into the back of her skull, willing her to change her mind, to swing back around and bring her lips against his. Finally he was forced to give up with a defeated huff.

* * *

 

**Day seven.**

The Doctor sat down heavily, seething as he glanced out at the site with undisguised hatred. Seven days, seven days since they had landed here, seven days he had spent wandering through trenches with the sun beating down on him, seven days that River had refused to so much as kiss him.

“You know” A curious voice next to him began softly, “for a man who supposedly came all the way from London to view an ancient civilization, you don’t seem the least bit interested in Archaeology.”

The Doctor turned to his left to find Agatha Christie observing him carefully, a glass of lemonade in one hand and a pen in the other. She set the glass in front of him, encouraging him to take a sip. “It wasn’t my idea” He grumbled, accepting the glass and taking a sip. He crossed his arms over the table, burying his face in them.

“Ah, it was your wife’s then?” Agatha replied knowingly, “but that’s not what bothers you”

“No” he admitted, the word slightly muffled by his jacket sleeve.

“You’re wondering why she rejects you at every chance” The writer went on, her voice a little higher now.

The Doctor looked up, frowning, “How do you…” He began, but she waved him off sharply, “It doesn’t matter.”

Agatha pursed her lips, dropping the pan and cracking her fingers before going on, “An archaeologist is a strange sort of fish John” She began thoughtfully, “But, as I have found, they make the best of partners.”

At the bewildered look on the Doctor’s face she smiled and went on, “Why do you think I married Max? The older I get the more he appreciates me” she finished, chuckling.  

The Doctor laughed with her, momentarily forgetting his bad mood.  “I’m glad to see that you moved on.” He said after moment in a hushed tone. A pained expression appeared on the writer’s face for a brief moment before it was replaced with a smile, “I didn’t stand a chance, for all my mystery writing and detective skills I failed to see the one thing in front of me. I had no idea that Max was in love with me or that I loved him back until it was too late. Love does that sometimes, it sneaks up when you’re not looking and even the best of us fall to it in the end.” 

She offered  him a smile, “Give it time, she’ll come round” And with that she turned back to her pen, picking it up and hunting for a fresh piece of paper to write upon.

The Doctor stared at her, thinking her words over in his head.

* * *

 

 

**Day nine**

The campfire burned brightly under the night sky, casting dancing shadows on the tents and warming the legs of those who sat around it. Behind them the Ruins of Ur stood silent, the ziggurat, once towering and majestic, now little higher then two feet.

“I crept up to one night, took her hand and asked her to marry me” Max was proudly announcing, beaming at everyone around the fire, “and when she said yes I said, you don’t mind that my job involves corpses?”

“And I replied, I don’t mind stiffs.” Agatha finished for him. A chorus of hearty laughter broke out from around the campfire, The Doctor included.

“Oh come now we’ve heard that story a thousand times” Katherine replied in annoyance after the laughter had subsided, “what about you two?” she asked, eyeing River and the Doctor curiously.

The Doctor sat up straighter on the log he was currently occupying, feeling his wife shift uneasily next to him.

“Well,” he gulped, scratching his chin as he glanced at River for help. “it’s complicated”

Katherine moved forwards eagerly, “Ohoo why is that? Something scandalous no doubt?” She cried excitedly.

“You could say that, yeah” The Doctor nodded.

“Do tell!”

“For gods sake Katherine leave them alone!” Woolley muttered irritably.

Katherine turned on him, glaring pointly as she began to berate her husband.

The other four chuckled, watching keenly as Leonard argued back. Still grinning the Doctor glanced sideways for the briefest of moments.

The laughter drained from his face, the rates of his hearts quickened and  he suddenly felt breathless as he took in the sight before him. River laughed in earnest, absentmindedly tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Her features were illuminated by the gentle glow of the fire, the dirt and grime, signature of an Archaeologist hard at work still covered her fac. Despite all of that the Doctor had never seen his wife look so radiant.

Here under the blanket of stars, amongst the ruins of Ancient Ur and in the company of Agatha Christie, Leonard Woolley, his wife and their most trusted assistant, the Doctor can’t help but find himself entranced by the mere presence of River Song. He wanted nothing more then to take her by the hand and quietly slip away into the night with her, lay her down on the sand and explore every inch of her as if she is one of the treasures of the site.  

The Timelord tired to find his voice, instead all that slipped out was a gurgle. Out of the comer of his eye he glimpsed Katherine Woolley give him a strange stare, as if he were some sort of artifact that had didn’t belong at her site.

He ignored her, clearing his throat and starting again. “River” He managed to sound out his wife’s name on the second attempt, rather proud that he did. “Can I have a word in private?” He stood slowly, holding out his hand to her.

River glanced at him curiously, nodding as she let him help her to her feet. His hand slipped discreetly around her waist a soon as she was standing, not wanting any distance between them.

“It’ll be freezing out there” Max observed, waving a hand at the dark sand dunes in the distance. “There’s an empty tent down the back if you’d prefer that”

The Doctor muttered his thanks, leading his wife away from the campfire and down past the row of tents gently fluttering like butterflies in the wind. “Doctor?” River hissed as soon as they were out f earshot.

“hmm” He replied, locating the unused tent at the end of the row. He pulled back the door of the tent, holding it out for his wife.

River crossed her arms defiantly, letting go of his hand as she stepped back, “No” she responded haughtily.

He sighed, “River, please, I said I anted to talk didn’t I?”

She raised an eyebrow, “Just talk was it?”  
He gave a frustrated sigh, gesturing to the tent, “Can you just hurry up? It’s freezing out here!” He shivered in the cold night air, whatever warmth the fire offered was now too far away to feel.

River rolled her eyes and pushed past him, marching into the spacious tent.

“Well?” She asked expectantly as The Doctor followed after her.

“River” He began again, reaching for her. She slapped his hand away, stepping out of his reach.

“That’s it isn’t it? You think you can put on that whine and give me that wide eyed stare and I’ll jump straight into bed with you.” She snapped angrily, “Maybe when I was younger Doctor, but certainly not now” She turned away from him, putting a hand to her forehead.

The TimeLord stared at his wife, realizing for the first time how much older this version of her really was, and how tired she was too.

“You think I don’t respect you” He murmured quietly after a moment, “That I mock you because I don’t see the point in anything you do?” He swallowed painfully, feeling his throat begin to constrict. Nevertheless he pushed on, “River, that’s not true”

River laughed bitterly. “Isn’t it?” She asked sarcastically.   

He stepped towards her, putting his arms around her shoulder sand spinning her around to face him.

“Let go of me” she snapped, trying to break free.  He held onto her firmly, refusing to let her go, afraid that if he did, she might go to her death thinking that she wasn’t worthy in his eyes.

“Listen to me” The Doctor said in a quiet tone, his eyes regarding her fiercely, “Civilizations are built upon ideology and upon religion. They worship sky gods, build monuments for them, lost gods and goddesses that they can’t ever reach. And while the devotion behind all of that is beautiful, I can’t see the beauty in the pile of ruins left behind, the crushed dreams that are broken by time. “

River gave a cry of frustration, snatching her hand away from his reach and bringing it up to slap him in the face. For once he didn’t cry out in pain. He was absolutely silent, exhaling deeply before going on as if nothing happened, “I can’t see the beauty in that because I don’t want to be like those people, watching the one I worship turn away from me, watching my dreams crumble.”

River’s eyes widened, her face searching his, “what?” She asked softly.

He let out a shaky laugh, “what I can’t understand is why after all this time you didn’t walk away, find someone else” rewrite time, he added silently.

“I don’t understand,” River murmured,

The Doctor sighed, “No, of course you don’t” He muttered more to himself then to her. He leaned forwards gently and kissed the top of her head. “Spoilers” He whispered.

She sighed as he touched her, melting against him as he put his arms around her, “I’m being an idiot aren’t I?” She chuckled softly.

“No,” he replied firmly, “that’s my job”   

“You worship me then?” She asked, her whole body shaking with laughter against his.

The Doctor grinned, “Goddess of Time” he tucked a curl behind her ear, “and hair” he added, chortling.

River glanced up at him, rolling her eyes.

In response the TimeLord leaned down, capturing her mouth with his tenderly. River let out a low moan against his mouth as he pulled her closer towards him, caressing her back. She deepened the kiss, her tongue exploring the interior of his mouth as The Doctor slid one hand under her blouse, tracing her spine with one long, tapered finger.

With one fluid motion he picked his wife up, laughing quietly as she broke the kiss to let out a shriek of surprise as he carried her towards the pile of plump cushions scattered on the tent floor. He laid her down gently, tracing her cheekbone with his finger, trailing down her neck teasingly until he reached the neckline of her blouse.  River let out a small noise of impatience, reaching up to undo the buttons herself, he held her hands down gently, ”River,” he murmured, pressing his lips against hers.  She sighed in defeat, allowing him to seat himself between her legs and begin undoing her buttons.

“You are” He began to say as he unfastened the first two, “more precious to me then anything that can be found out there.”  He succeeded in unbuttoning her blouse and hurriedly helped her out of the sleeves, hungrily casting his eyes over the bare flash before him. Her bra followed soon after, lacy black material thrown hastily to the floor as he planted a kiss between her breasts. River moaned in response, arching her, shivering as she was exposed to the cold air. The Doctor chuckled darkly, pressing her down against the cushions, “Cold are you?” he asked. She nodded, holding him against her. “Don’t worry love, I’ll keep you warm.”  He leaned forward again, pressing warm kisses against her skin, just above each breast before taking one her hardened nipples in his mouth and sucking gently. The other he gave a light pinch between his fingers, chuckling once more against her skin as she yelped.

River moaned in response, her nails clawing at his back through his jacket. “Doctor, please” She whispered, feeling a surge of hot liquid between her legs. His hand slid down in response, slipping into her trousers, his fingers finding and stroking her clit through her knickers.  River thrust against his touch, whimpering in Galliferyan.  The Doctor continued sucking slowly, alternating between each nipple as he rubbed her clit until her underwear was completely soaked.  River gave a sob of frustration as he pulled his hand out of her trousers and broke away from her completely, panting heavily. “Doctor” she whimpered, pleading with him.

The TimeLord winked in response, placing his hands on her hips and urging her to roll them forwards so that he could tug down her trousers. She obliged with a cry that sounded suspiciously like, “finally” which turned to a sigh as slowly began rolling both her trousers and underwear down, kissing the exposed skin  as he went. He paused at her ankles, shuffling backwards on the floor to kneel in front of her and take one of her feet in his lap, undoing the laces of her boot and sliding her foot from it. The Doctor bent forwards, laying a kiss on her ankle before gently placing her foot back on the ground and turning to the other. He did the same thing with this foot, casting her shoes behind him before turning back to his wife and relieving her of the last of her clothes.

His eyes roamed over her body in awe as if he hadn’t seen her naked a hundred times before as he slowly began to shed his own clothes. River looked up at him, letting out a low moan as she watched him, threatening to rip his god damn clothes and shred it to pieces if he didn’t hurry up. He laughed at that but nevertheless he did speed up, hastily throwing his clothes upon hers. “Sweetie!” River growled after a minute, attempting to sit up. Before she could do so the Doctor dove forwards, pining her to the floor and smothering her protests with a passionate kisses, his erection pressing against her thigh. River’s nails clawed at his back, sinking into his flesh as he kissed her. He growled against her mouth in response, nipping at her bottom lip.

He drew back after a moment, casting his eyes over her reverently for a moment before he shuffled backwards and gently prised apart her legs. River willingly shifted to accommodate him with a pleading look in he eyes. Without another moments hesitation the Doctor guided himself inside of her, exclaiming at how tight and wet she was. River gasped, arching her back as she pulled him back down upon her.

He began to thrust inside of her slowly, covering her mouth with his once more as she rolled her hips against him eagerly. “Faster, please” she murmured after a minute against his lips, her eyes searching his. She wrapped her legs around him as he obliged, trying desperately to get him deeper inside of her.

He leaned down, kissing her neck as he tightened his grip on her hips. “Come for me” he murmured softly against her skin. River moaned loudly in response, she brought a hand up to stifle the sound but the Doctor gently pushed it away, “No, I want to hear you” He said quietly, his thrusts becoming more frantic now. River met his thrusts with her own; her moans become more audible second by second.   

With a final scream she came, shattering around the Doctor as her vision blurred and a feeling of bliss coursing through her body. Her legs trembled violently, falling away from him as she whimpered. He found his release not long after her, shouting her name as he did so. He pulled out of her, rolling off of her and off to the side, pressing a kiss against her shoulder and panting heavily. “I love you” he whispered after a moment, taking his hand in hers. She squeezed his hand in reply, smiling. “I love you too.”

* * *

 

**Day Eleven.**

The Doctor took his wife’s hand, leading her out of the trench and up to the shade cloth in front of the tents. “Do you have to?” Woollley asked them both anxiously, “You could stay you know, really, we all wouldn’t mind”

River smiled gratefully, “No, we really must be going I’m afraid.”

“Oh let them go if they want to Leonard, they’re young, they’re in love, let them be!’ Katherine’s voice drifted over from the nearest trench.

The TimeLord and his wife chuckled at that, exchanging a glance.

“Well, yes, I suppose so” Woolley trailed off, disappointed. “It was nice to meet you both” He exclaimed, shaking first the Doctor’s and then River’s hand, “say hullo to Petrie for me”   

He stepped back, allowing the other two to say their goodbyes.

“See you both then” Max murmured, shaking their hands, he gave the Doctor a playful punch on the shoulder, “You turned out alright in the end didn’t you?”

“Yes, was that a trowel I saw you holding earlier?’ Agatha muttered in mock outrage as she in turn came forward to say her goodbyes.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, “Ha ha ha” He muttered, leaning forwards and kissing her on the cheek briefly.  Grinning the writer turned and embraced River, “take care won’t you?”

River nodded, smiling.

“Kathy?” Agatha asked over her shoulder, “won’t you come and say goodbye?”

“I shan’t think so” Katherine replied loudly, “I’m not that good at saying goodbye.”

The Doctor chuckled softly, “then we’re the same” he muttered.

Katherine snorted in response, evidently disagreeing.

“Well I guess that’s it then” River muttered, glancing up at the Doctor.

He nodded and hand in hand, they turned back towards the Tardis. They paused just once, at the top of the sand dune to glance down at the site below, the same hot sun that greeted them, beating down on their backs, somehow not as harsh as they remembered. Three figures in white waved to them. They waved back enthusiastically.

“I guess you’ve had enough of Archaeology then.” River laughed as he opened the door for her and ushered her inside.

The Doctor bopped her on the nose, his eyes twinkling, “Not quite.”

 

~.~

**Archaeological Society.  Earlier on.**

“I’m just saying it needs a common name, don’t you think?”

“Whatever for? We are scientist’s not common men!”

“Yes, but we need to refer to it simply so that the common man may understand it!”

The whirr of an engine stopped the argument in its tracks. Both men looked up, identical expressions of shock on their faces as a strange blue box materialised out of thin air. The door of the box opened and an equally strange man stepped out, followed by a woman with wild curly blond hair.

“Telephone box!” The man exclaimed loudly, gesturing to the box.

“What?” The two men asked a one.

The newcomer sighed, “You’re trying to find a nickname for the sondage right? Telephone box,” he rapped on the wooden box, “It’s the right depth and everything see?”

“What a marvelous idea!” One of the men cried excitedly.

The man in the bowtie grinned and turned around to face the woman. “I just named a term” He cried smugly. The woman rolled her eyes and pulled him closer to her, kissing him on the lips, much to the horror of the two men. 


End file.
